Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I wish to raise the valid demand by the Coalition on Violence Against Women for a ring-fenced Supplementary Estimate for 2005 and a monthly annual funding package from 2006 onwards to ensure adequate financial support for front-line services for women who have survived domestic violence or sexual assault.

The current funding arrangements are short term and insecure. There is widespread, consistent and persistent underfunding of these services. The net result is that the agencies providing these services, such as Women's Aid and the network of refuges and rape crisis centres throughout the country, cannot cope at present with the increased demand due to lack of resources. The Minister is well aware of this. These agencies have been subjected to an indefensible funding freeze over the past three years, in effect three years of cutbacks. The Government has also failed to ensure that such services are available in every county, as should be the case.

I have been attempting to have this matter dealt with since December last year. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has washed his hands of it and passed it to his party colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children. It appears that interdepartmental responsibility for services in this sector is being used as an excuse for inaction by the Government.

Last week, I asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans to ensure that sexual assault forensic testing is available in every county to improve the worryingly low rate of successful prosecutions and convictions in this area. It is astonishing that such a basic facility is not available after almost ten years of the Celtic tiger economy. His reply was to pass the buck to the Minister for Health and Children. Simply put, justice for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault is not a priority with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. His mind is elsewhere, on rounding up immigrants, setting up press councils or, indeed, wrecking the peace process.

In responding to my questions on this issue, the Minister for Health and Children passed the buck in two directions, one to the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform who chairs the national steering committee on violence against women. The other was to the new Health Service Executive. There must be no more ducking and weaving. Women need justice and support rather than falling through the cracks of Government indifference.

The Minister is aware of the statistics. Representatives of the sector made detailed submissions on this matter in recent years, particularly before last Christmas. The consequences of the funding freeze are real. Almost one quarter of Irish women have been abused by a current or former partner and almost half of all women have experienced some form of sexual abuse in their lifetime. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, for example, received almost 12,000 calls in 2003. In the same year, refuges had to turn away at least 700 women and children. Women's Aid responded to nearly 13,000 calls but missed almost another 6,000 because it did not have enough staff.

It is critical that there is a public commitment from the Minister on the required funding increase prior to the introduction of the Finance Bill 2005. Even though the Bill has been published, it is not too late to amend it. What we seek is very simple. We want increased funding for this sector in 2005 of €7 million to bring the budgetary allocation to €19 million. This level of funding would maintain existing services and allow for additional provision for those women who are otherwise likely to fall through the gaps. Furthermore, we seek the provision of a ring-fenced, multi-annual funding package from 2006 to ensure that the services in question do not suffer at the whim of a Minister for Finance with an eye to the next general election who decides there are not enough votes in front-line services for women and to ladle the gravy elsewhere.

The Progressive Democrats are selling themselves to the public as a party of action and delivery. There are two Progressive Democrats Party Ministers with joint lead responsibility in this area. I seek an answer from the Tánaiste as to whether she will get this done for the women of the State.

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas don Teachta an cheist seo á phlé.

I make this reply on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. The national steering committee on violence against women was established following the report of the task force on violence against women in 1997. As Deputy Ó Snodaigh acknowledged, it is chaired by the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. My Department and the Health Service Executive are represented on the national steering committee. The purpose of the steering committee is to provide, inter alia, a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency and cohesive response to the problem of violence against women and, in so doing, to progress the recommendations of the task force. The steering committee is representative of a wide range of interests concerned with violence against women.

The committee has a number of objectives which include ensuring that regional and local structures are established, developing public awareness campaigns and co-ordinating and advising on the distribution of resources among the health regions. The committee is also responsible for co-ordinating and advising on the ongoing development of policies, including those involving perpetrators, criminal justice intervention, services and supports. The Government is committed to working with all interested parties including service providers and has implemented a range of measures to reduce the incidence of domestic violence, respond to the needs of victims and perpetrators and raise public awareness about the dynamics of this type of criminal activity. The effectiveness of the measures is best demonstrated through the Government's legislative measures, Garda responses, health services, the national steering committee on violence against women, national research and perpetrator programmes.

Ireland is one of the few European countries to have specific domestic violence legislation. The Domestic Violence Act 1996 describes domestic violence as "any form of physical, sexual or psychological violence which puts the safety or welfare of a family member at risk". The legislation provides for a range of civil remedies to protect victims of domestic violence and its breach is a criminal offence. Protection is also offered through the Non-fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997 which covers many forms of assault against the person.

An assistant commissioner has been assigned specific responsibility for monitoring Garda policy on violence against women. Garda superintendents have responsibility for operations within their districts. The Garda has a proactive policy on domestic violence intervention and a nominated inspector in each division is responsible for ensuring it is implemented. The Garda domestic violence and sexual assault investigation unit is based in Harcourt Square in Dublin and was given a national role in 1997. The Garda is represented on the national steering committee as well as on each of the regional committees on violence against women. All gardaí receive training on the investigation of cases of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault. Training is provided by experienced Garda personnel assisted by other professionals such as psychologists, doctors, social workers and experts from various non-governmental organisations.

While service provision for victims comes primarily from the Department of Health and Children, the Departments of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Education and Science, Social and Family Affairs, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and the Environment and Local Government also respond to the issue. Funding in the health Vote has risen from approximately £3 million, €3.8 million, in 1997 to approximately €12 million in 2005. The level of funding shows the commitment of Government in addressing this important issue. The distribution of the funding is a matter for the Health Service Executive. We will continue to monitor the level of investment in services for women victims of domestic violence and work with the NGO sector to ensure there is adequate service provision to meet their needs.

On foot of its examination of the role of the health and social services, the task force recommended, at the suggestion of my Department's representative, the examination by the Department of Health and Children of the need to establish additional sexual assault units around the country. The task force also recommended that "systems be established to ensure that all necessary medical procedures are carried out in a timely, expert and sympathetic manner". It has since been agreed to establish a multi-disciplinary group to make recommendations on how to move this issue forward. The group will meet within the next two weeks and the Tánaiste has asked it to ensure it reports in time to allow any financial implications arising to be taken into account in the Estimates process this autumn.